For a while I’ve been trying to estimate my LT without actually having the blood test taken. In a recent duathlon I held the following HR’s for the bike/run:
Bike: 172 avg, 68 minutes
Run: 183 avg, 31 minutes
Would it be safe to assume my LT was in the mid-high 170’s based on these numbers (with the run being slightly higher)? This seems quite high to me.
Recent IM and HIM runs were done @ ~155 avg for the IM and ~170 avg for the half.
I’d guess 173, 180 respectively. a good DIY test is a 30 min all out time trial effort. Hit your HR monitor 10 minutes in. Your average for your last 20 min = LTHR.
I’ve tried the 30 min TT technique before and can hold 180+ for both the bike and the run over the last 20 minutes. I’ve always thought this was high so I didn’t put much stock in it. Could be wrong but my assumption was always I wasn’t in good enough shape to get a true answer or something of that nature.
Is it just me or does 170/180 seem too high? Am I way off the mark?
170 to 180 is perfectly acceptable. We are all different.
I’ve done the full lab bike test and came out with my LT at 178. Max is 201. I usually TT somewhere around 170-175.
Its only to high if you ahve a heart attack… my 5k avg HR is around 200 or so.
Grant
your estimate sounds reasonable to me, or maybe even too low based on what you can do on that 30 minute test.
I’m 41 and I estimate mine at 171 bike, 178 run. I’ll spend most of a 5k with my HR in the 180’s.
There isn’t really a ‘too high’.
IMO HR numbers don’t really mean anything unless you have an idea of what your max is. So lets assume your max is 200, this would put your bike average at 86% of MHR and your run at 92.5% of MHR, which seems like a plausible LT.
HR is very interesting and hard to compare. My LTHRs are the following: 161 (bike) and 167 (run). Highest HR I have ever seen was 181 at the end of a 5k when I wasn’t in as good of shape as I am now. My HR will hit ~170-172 at the end of a 25k bike TT when I am cranking all out. I reasoned that I have a lower HR on average and lower max than most. You should get a good feel for HR in different events (training/racing) and in different conditions as you train more and more. Many times I don’t need to test to know where my zones are. IMO, the 30min tests are pretty accurate estimations.
There isn’t really a ‘too high’.
IMO HR numbers don’t really mean anything unless you have an idea of what your max is. So lets assume your max is 200, this would put your bike average at 86% of MHR and your run at 92.5% of MHR, which seems like a plausible LT.
Your maximum heart rate is irrelevant.